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Back Every Little Secret Save as PDF
Chapters (81)
  1. Cover
  2. Dedication
  3. Prologue
  4. Chapter One
  5. Chapter Two
  6. Chapter Three
  7. Chapter Four
  8. Chapter Five
  9. Chapter Six
  10. Chapter Seven
  11. Chapter Eight
  12. Chapter Nine
  13. Chapter Ten
  14. Chapter Eleven
  15. Chapter Twelve
  16. Chapter Thirteen
  17. Chapter Fourteen
  18. Chapter Fifteen
  19. Chapter Sixteen
  20. Chapter Seventeen
  21. Chapter Eighteen
  22. Chapter Nineteen
  23. Chapter Twenty
  24. Chapter Twenty-One
  25. Chapter Twenty-Two
  26. Chapter Twenty-Three
  27. Chapter Twenty-Four
  28. Chapter Twenty-Five
  29. Chapter Twenty-Six
  30. Chapter Twenty-Seven
  31. Chapter Twenty-Eight
  32. Chapter Twenty-Nine
  33. Chapter Thirty
  34. Chapter Thirty-One
  35. Chapter Thirty-Two
  36. Chapter Thirty-Three
  37. Chapter Thirty-Four
  38. Chapter Thirty-Five
  39. Chapter Thirty-Six
  40. Chapter Thirty-Seven
  41. Chapter Thirty-Eight
  42. Chapter Thirty-Nine
  43. Chapter Forty
  44. Chapter Forty-One
  45. Chapter Forty-Two
  46. Chapter Forty-Three
  47. Chapter Forty-Four
  48. Chapter Forty-Five
  49. Chapter Forty-Six
  50. Chapter Forty-Seven
  51. Chapter Forty-Eight
  52. Chapter Forty-Nine
  53. Chapter Fifty
  54. Chapter Fifty-One
  55. Chapter Fifty-Two
  56. Chapter Fifty-Three
  57. Chapter Fifty-Four
  58. Chapter Fifty-Five
  59. Chapter Fifty-Six
  60. Chapter Fifty-Seven
  61. Chapter Fifty-Eight
  62. Chapter Fifty-Nine
  63. Chapter Sixty
  64. Chapter Sixty-One
  65. Chapter Sixty-Two
  66. Chapter Sixty-Three
  67. Chapter Sixty-Four
  68. Chapter Sixty-Five
  69. Chapter Sixty-Six
  70. Chapter Sixty-Seven
  71. Chapter Sixty-Eight
  72. Chapter Sixty-Nine
  73. Chapter Seventy
  74. Chapter Seventy-One
  75. Chapter Seventy-Two
  76. Chapter Seventy-Three
  77. Chapter Seventy-Four
  78. A Letter From Ruby
  79. Acknowledgements
  80. About the Author
  81. Also by Ruby Speechley

Tom turned the tap on full and in seconds Max’s face was plunged into cold water.

‘Get some ice cubes,’ Tom shouted and pulled Max’s head up for a few seconds. ‘Breathe,’ he said in Max’s ear.

Then he was in the water again, ice cubes bobbing against his raw skin. The men’s voices muffled, blood pumping loudly in his ears. He didn’t recognise the miniature scarlet face in the shiny plug, the swollen slit eyes reflecting back at him. He couldn’t breathe. He grabbed at Tom’s sleeve and tugged hard. The pressure on the back of his head eased and he lifted his head. He took in a deep breath. The water on his skin burned like acid. Tom pushed him in again.

At last the burning sensation began to subside as his face became numb.

‘The ambulance is here,’ he heard Bob say.

Tom pulled Max up and shoved a towel into his hands.

‘Catch the drips,’ he said. ‘Don’t touch your face with it.’

They sat him back in a chair and he caught a glimpse of the elderly woman staring at him, like a ghost standing in the corner waiting to take him to the next world. His face started burning again. As if answering his prayer, a paramedic appeared in front of him with what looked like a piece of skin. He placed it on Max’s face, moulding it gently around his nose and eyes. It soothed the pain while he was led to the ambulance. As the doors closed, all Max could think of was his mobile phone left on the mantelpiece.

Chapter Thirty-Three

Maddy: October 2019

The day dawned with a widespread frost over much of the British Isles with freezing fog in places. A light sprinkle of snowfall quickly turned to rain as the temperature rose. Snow has been heavy in parts of Wales, Scotland and Northern England.

Maddy switches off the radio.

These trips are becoming a daily occurrence, but she can’t help herself. She’s constantly on high alert. Her family has been invaded. No wonder it’s impossible to sleep. Sitting behind the wheel is getting more uncomfortable as the bump grows bigger. She ought to be at home with her feet up instead, but she needs to find out where Max is and what he’s been doing with this woman all these months, why he’s been lying to her.

Her drive to Huntingdon is taking much longer than usual because everyone is driving slowly. Today, she can’t afford to be late. Everything is arranged. In her head she can hear her mother’s voice advising her on what to do to make this bitch suffer.